


Baby Now I

by kiss_me_cassie



Series: Hockey 'Verse [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hockey, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Hockey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-06 22:12:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14066697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiss_me_cassie/pseuds/kiss_me_cassie
Summary: Their team just won the championship! What are they going to do now?





	Baby Now I

**Author's Note:**

> Title from a Dan Reed Network song.
> 
> A little ficlet in the Hockeyverse. Don't need to have read Turning Circles, just need to play along with the idea that Tony owns a minor league hockey team.
> 
> Much thanks to Crazy4Orcas for the quick read through and beta.

"Don't clean that up," Tony said, waving his hand around at the chaos in his exclusive luxury box. "That's why we have a cleaning crew."

Pepper made a face at him and continued to gather up discarded beer bottles. "Not even a cleaning crew deserves this disaster."

Tony looked around the box, the general wreckage of it finally penetrating through his euphoria over the team's win. 

Was that a smashed pineapple in the corner? He winced. How had a celebration for winning the championship gotten so out of hand? He really needed to pay more attention to the people he invited up to the box. But he'd been so excited that his team had gotten this far that he'd invited anyone and everyone to watch the final game, much to Pepper's dismay.

"Yeah, it is a bit of a mess," he admitted, wincing again when he accidentally kicked over an almost empty cup of… something. "But c'mon! We won the championship! It was a great game."

She grimaced. "It was."

"But?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her. "That's a patented Pott's harbinger-of-bad-news-I-don't-want-to-hear face if I've ever seen one."

Pepper smiled just the tiniest bit. "Not bad news, per se, but…"

Tony sighed. "I knew there was a but."

"But," she continued, settling tentatively on the edge of one of the chairs. "I talked to Cap the other day and he thinks that maybe some of the players are ready to move up."

"Who?" Tony asked, sitting up straighter.

"The Parker kid, definitely. Wilson, maybe."

Tony slumped back down. "Thor? Barton?"

Pepper shook head. "Most of the other guys are comfortable staying where they are. They're getting older or have families or other ties to the community and don't want to relocate."

"So just Parker and Wilson?"

"Yes. You should talk to T'Challa about moving them up to the national league," Pepper said gently.

"Do I have to?" Tony asked, burrowing even deeper into the chair.

Pepper frowned. "You make it sound like talking to him is the worst thing in the world. Don't you two get along now?"

"We do," Tony said, waving away her concern. "But I always wind up talking to his sister when I call."

Pepper pursed her lips. "So? I thought you liked Shuri because she's so smart and business savvy."

"I _love_ her because of those things! It's the puns and the age jokes and the rest of it," he said with a groan, sinking even lower.

Pepper gave him one of those soft smiles, the kind that always made him melt and feel all gooey inside. "So basically she annoys you because she reminds you of you?"

"Yes, dammit! That's exactly why!"

Pepper snickered and went back to cleaning up.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," she said, turning towards him again. "Bradley, the guy who dresses up as the mascot? He wants Rocket the Raccoon to be a little more techie. Suggested maybe you could build him a robotic arm."

Tony shook his head. "No, absolutely not. That kid is a menace."

"Just the messenger here," Pepper reminded him.

"Yes, and a very attractive messenger at that," Tony said, snagging her around the waist as she tried to move past him to pick up another discarded drink. He pulled her down onto his lap and nuzzled her neck. "Do we have any more business we need to talk about?"

"Talk about?" Pepper giggled. "No, I don't think so."

"Great!" he said, setting her back on her feet and standing up himself. "Then let's go home, put on some music, open a bottle of champagne..."

Pepper smoothed her skirt. "I said we had nothing more to _talk_ about."

Tony frowned.

"But," she continued, handing him his jacket and herding him towards the door. "The team just won the championship. You don't think you should make an appearance down in the locker room before heading out?"

He sighed, but let her lead him into the bowels of the arena. "Can't you be the one to congratulate them?"

"I can only congratulate them 12%," she replied cheekily. 

"What if I upped it to 15%?" he asked hopefully.

"20%," she countered.

He shook his head sadly. "No can do. The rest of the shareholders would have a fit. What if I gave you my proxy and voting rights?"

"We'll talk about it. Later," Pepper said, ushering him the last few steps to the locker room, where they could hear an exuberant celebration already in progress. She leaned over and pecked his cheek. "But right now, you're going to open that door and face your team and tell them how proud you are."

"I hate when you're so practical," he grumbled.

She grinned. "You mean you absolutely adore it when I'm so practical."

He smiled and slung an arm around her shoulders. "That, too."


End file.
